Mechanical inventions generally involve moving parts. The internal combustion engine has undoubtedly revolutionized the world we live in, however because parts need to move past each other destructive abrasion occurs. It was discovered early on that keeping a surface lubricated with oil, reduced friction and improved performance. However, although lubrication allows the engine to operate with an acceptable service life, abrasion still occurs and results in ferrous substances being deposited in the lubricant. This leads to increased wear of engine parts and premature breakdown of the lubricant.
To combat this problem, various mechanical filters have been devised but none of them have been able to remove the iron particles with complete success. Standard mechanical filtration is most effective for particles approximately 20 μm and larger. Many of the destructive ferrous contaminants present in lubricants are under the 20 μm limit and therefore are not removed by conventional filters causing premature wear and breakdown.
Because iron wear particles are ferromagnetic, they are easily attracted to magnets. Therefore, magnets have been used to try to remove ferrous contaminants from oil, but it is difficult to project the magnetic field throughout the flow area to ensure that the ferrous particles will be trapped in the fast moving oil. There is a need for a filter that effectively removes iron particles from lubricants and other substances.
To provide a comprehensive disclosure without unduly lengthening the specification, applicant incorporates herein by reference the disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/306,571 to the present inventors, filed Jan. 3, 2006, now abandoned.